Division of Labor

Types

Task specialization, geographic division, and gender division.

Definition

The separation of a work process into a number of specialized tasks, with each task performed by a separate person or group of persons.

Core Mechanism

Specialization and the partition of a complex production task into several sub-tasks.

Primary Effect

Increased efficiency and productivity, leading to economic growth.

Economic Impact

Gives rise to market institutions and expands the extent of the market, creating trading opportunities and prosperity.

Sociological Impact

A key element in creating social cohesion and stability in complex societies, leading to a transition from mechanical to organic solidarity as societies become more complex.

Historical Significance

Significantly shaped modern economies and societies, particularly since the Industrial Revolution.

1776

19th Century

The "Division of Labor" refers to the practice of breaking down work into specialized tasks, a concept that has significantly shaped modern economies and societies, particularly since the Industrial Revolution. This approach allows organizations to enhance efficiency and productivity by assigning specific roles to workers based on their skills and the nature of the tasks. There are three primary types of division of labor: task specialization, geographic division, and gender division. Task [...] ## Terms & Concepts Division of Labor: An approach to organizational management characterized by specialized job tasks. Efficiency: The ratio of total input to effective output. Gender Division of Labor: The practice of directing men and women to perform certain tasks and forbidding them from performing other tasks based on their gender. Globalization: A process of economic and cultural integration around the world caused by changes in technology, commerce, and politics. [...] Labor refers to physical, mental, or creative efforts exerted to complete a task or project. Beginning in the 19th century, jobs and labor in factories, production facilities, and households were divided into specialized job tasks. The specialization process, in which the total labor is divided among categories of people, is termed the division of labor. Sociologists study the division of labor that occurs within capitalist societies, between nations, and within households. Types of division of

The division of labor is the specialization of tasks within a production process. It is a key concept in economics and is often considered one of the main causes of the increased productivity and economic growth since the Industrial Revolution. Division of labor occurs when workers are allocated different tasks to perform, and it can lead to increased efficiency as each worker becomes better at their specific task. [...] Skip to content # Division of Labor On This Page: Toggle > The division of labor describes the splitting up of a complex productive task into a number of specialized, simpler tasks. For example, an assembly line in a car manufacturing company may have one dedicated area for attaching wheels to cars and another for affixing doors to them, with workers assigned to just one of these tasks. [...] The division of labor, according to Durkheim, is a key element in creating social cohesion and stability in complex societies, provided it is regulated and does not lead to extreme disparity and social disintegration. Durkheim believed that as societies become more complex, the division of labor increases, which leads to the transition from mechanical to organic solidarity. This happens because as tasks become more specialized, people become more dependent on each other for their needs.

Division of labor combines specialization and the partition of a complex production task into several, or many, sub-tasks. Its importance in economics lies in the fact that a given number of workers can produce far more output using division of labor compared to the same number of workers each working alone. Interestingly, this is true even if those working alone are expert artisans. The production increase has several causes. According to Adam Smith, these include increased dexterity from [...] Division of labor is a hopeful doctrine. Nearly any nation, regardless of its endowment of natural resources, can prosper simply by developing a specialization. That specialization might be determined by comparative advantage, lying in climate or other factors, of course. But division of labor alone is sufficient to create trading opportunities and the beginnings of prosperity. By contrast, nations that refuse the opportunity to specialize, clinging to mercantilist notions of independence and [...] Second, the division of labor gives rise to market institutions and expands the extent of the market. Exchange relations relentlessly push against borders and expand the effective locus of cooperation. The benefit to the individual is that first dozens, then hundreds, and ultimately millions, of other people stand ready to work for each of us, in ways that are constantly being expanded into new activities and new products.

division of labour, the separation of a work process into a number of tasks, with each task performed by a separate person or group of persons. It is most often applied to systems of mass production and is one of the basic organizing principles of the assembly line. (Read Henry Ford’s 1926 Britannica essay on mass production.)